Our challenge

The good news? Since 1990 child mortality declined by almost half from 90 to 46 deaths per 1000 live births. However, this is not enough. Still nearly 18,000 children under five die from easily preventable diseases like diarrhea and dysentery every day. And if we don’t act now, an extra thirty-five million children will die between 2015 and 2028. So: if we do nothing, the costs will be alarmingly high.

South AsiaChild mortality in Asia is high: one in three children who die under the age of five, live in South Asia. Diarrhea is, besides pneumonia and malaria, one of the leading killers in this region. Diarrhea is most commonly caused by a lack of safe water, adequate sanitary facilities and hygiene practices. In India, more people have a mobile phone than a toilet!

BangladeshLike in other parts of the world, child mortality in Bangladesh has declined drastically since 1990. However, still 41 of 1,000 children die before their fifth birthday. Also, less than 60 percent of the population has access to adequate sanitary facilities. What are other challenges in reducing child mortality? 41 percent of children under five are malnourished and suffer from stunting. And only 32 percent of women give birth with help from a trained midwife.